Survival
by Cheap Indifference
Summary: I wouldn't cry, not this time… I had cried for my father, my sister, Judith, Rick, Carl; I had already cried for them. But he wouldn't want me to cry for him, he wouldn't want me to give this creep the satisfaction. I would be tough, not because I had to be but because it was the only way he'd continue to remain in my life.
1. Taken

**A/N: I have been writing awhile and I decided it's time to change fandom, and what better fandom then The Walking Dead. My grammar can fail me at times so don't be afraid to point out any mistakes. I am a huge fan and plan on intertwining the TV series, comic books, and my own imagination into my writing here. The rating is due to violence mostly for now and I would probably want to be caught up in season 4 before you read too much of this fic. Hoping for your feedback.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or 'Survival' by Eminem. Sad days.**

**XXX**

He took me, took me from the only person I had left in this world. Just as I became comfortable with the truth of only having that one person, I was torn away from him. And now… now I had to come to grips with losing him too because the reality was that the chances of us ever seeing each other again alive were slim to none. I wouldn't cry, not this time… I had cried for my father, my sister, Judith, Rick, Carl; I had already cried for them. But he wouldn't want me to cry for him, he wouldn't want me to give this creep the satisfaction. I would be tough, not because I had to be but because it was the only way he'd continue to remain in my life.

I was in a trunk and it would have been more frightening if I hadn't already spent the night in one, there was more room but thinking about why that was, wasn't something I'd allow myself to do. There wasn't much room to move around but my hands started searching, almost automatically for something, anything that could be used as a weapon. Someone who kidnapped girls in this kind of world wasn't someone that needed an introduction or even deserved one. There was nothing.

What scared me most wasn't the small space, the dark, or the fact that I was completely and utterly alone. It was the calm breaths that filled the small space, there wasn't any fear as to what would happen next, just an eerie calm. Somehow, I just knew that one way or another I would get out of this; coming out alive would just be a bonus. The car jerked to a halt and every muscle, even muscles I didn't know existed tensed. This was the moment of truth, there wasn't going to be a fight, I was going to play it smart. Underestimating someone is one of the worst things a person can do, all I could hope for was that whoever had me believed I was just a dumb, weak, little blonde girl.

When my eyes finally adjusted to the sunlight when the trunk opened there was a priest standing above me with a smile that I couldn't help but find deceiving. He outstretched his hand toward me, telling me that I was safe now and his name was Father Lucas. I hid my emotions of concern, doubt, and fear and took his hand. Showing resistance would definitely make the wrong impression, I was just going remain as calm as possible and assess the situation before making a plan.

"I'm Beth," I said with a steady breath. His face broke into a grin; seemingly happy with the response I was giving him.

"You're safe now, Beth," he said again, leading me away from the car toward a small house. "We have a good community here."

I took in as much of my surrounding as I could without it being too obvious that I was looking for somewhere, anywhere to run. Trees surrounded us, I wasn't sure how big the forest was but if I could get there I knew I would be able to survive, Daryl had taught me that much.

He led me inside the cabin into a room full of four bunk beds, telling me that I would earn my weapon back with trust. I looked around the room; there were three other girls there, all around my age. They looked scared but relief fell on their faces almost instantly when they realized who was entering the room.

"Ladies, this is Beth, she's new to our community. Welcome her with open arms," he said in an overly joyful voice before turning around and leaving. The click of the door locking behind him was all that was heard before his heavy footsteps fell along the old cabin floors.

The three girls were on their own separate beds, with wide eyes. There was an uncomfortable silence before the brunette spoke up.

"That bed there is open," she said meekly, pointing to a bottom bunk furthest from her.

"What is this place?" I asked, making my way over to the thin and worn out mattress. The girls looked at me briefly before glancing away. The small Asian girl shook her head and let out a sad chuckle.

"Welcome to hell, Beth," she said as the other two tried to quiet her. "They will break you down until you end up like these two submissive, sorry excuses of women… I'm Hannah, that is Cora," she said pointing to the brunette. "And that's Christine," she pointed at girl with short red hair.

I could only assume that the people she was talking about were the people that wanted us locked in this room. Thinking about what made this place hell gave me duck bumps, I scratched the back of my head in frustration before getting up and searching around the room, again for anything I could use to defend myself. I would rather die before I let any of these people do anything to me against my will.

"You can't say that Hannah," Cora said in a hushed tone. "We _are _still alive."

"Yeah," said Hannah, rolling her eyes. "We can't say much more about Christine's sister."

That shut Cora up, tears brimming her eyes. I stopped and looked at Hannah for an answer.

"Her name was Tanya, when she tried to fight back and escape," Hannah paused. "They stood her right where you're standing and pulled the trigger. A way to teach us all a lesson, I guess."

Cora was crying now and Christine was pretending not to listen to the story of her sister's death. Shifting my feet before continuing to look for a weapon, I remained silent. Daryl could only look for me for so long, once he lost the trail there was no hope that he'd be able to find me. I wasn't naïve enough to believe he would try and follow a dead trail, how could he? So it was up to me and me alone to get the fuck out of here.

"You won't find anything," Hannah said, her eyes on me. There was almost a sense of humor behind her stare.

"Yes, I will," I said before lifting the mattress. "I have a family and I'm gonna find 'em."

Hannah shook her head. Even in the current situation I wasn't going to lose hope, my Dad would never allow something like that. Before I realized what was happening Cora got up from her bed and pushed me as hard as she could. It didn't result in much, I stumbled forward before turning to face her.

"You'll get us all killed, you stupid bitch," she said in an even weaker voice, attempting to push me again. I grabbed her wrists and pushed back, making her fall onto Christine's bed.

"Don't touch me again," I warned in a voice I could hardly recognize as my own. "I could care less if you want to stay here and let these people have their with you. I don't know you, do whatever you want but I ain't stayin' here because you're too scared to do something about it."

Throwing the mattress off of the bed, I examined the wooden bed frame carefully. Cora was crying silently now as Christine tried to comfort her.

"If… if you work your way up they let you have your own room… even a weapon," Cora said hesitantly as if she were trying to convince me of something. I glanced at her before turning back to the bed frame, thumbing the rusted nails that held the bed together.

"Don't plan on staying here that long," I said before stopping to look at her again. "Are there many girls that have left this room for their own?"

She shook her head slightly before saying there were only two that she knew of. I sighed and looked at Hannah this time.

"How many people are here?"

She shook her head and looked at me as if I were crazy for even thinking about escaping.

"How many?" I said a little louder.

"There are fifteen, including the two other girls," Christine said as comforting hand still resting on Cora's shoulder. "I've been here the longest… it's impossible. Please… _please _just believe me."

"If we work together, we can run," I said, ignoring her plea.

"And survive out there? With the corpses and no food?" Christine asked skeptically. I rolled my eyes at her as if to say that anywhere is better than here. She was talking as if the walkers were the ones we had to be worried about.

"Where do they keep the weapons, do you know?" I asked her. I wanted my knife back, if I couldn't find Daryl or anyone of the group at least I'd have something to remind me of them; I'd have something to maintain that hope.

"There's a shed out back," she whispered so quietly that I could hardly hear. "They keep it locked though, you won't be able to get into it."

"You won't make it that far," Hannah piped in, nervously glancing at the door. "We need to shut up, they'll hear us."

I looked at the door; there were no signs of anyone on the other side. There were no footsteps, heavy breathing, or shadow of feet seen through the crack separating the floor from the door.

"Who has the keys?" I asked in a quieter voice, just to be safe.

"Father Lucas… he's in charge… he… he won't hurt you, not directly," Christine whispered back.

"I'm leavin'," I confirmed with such authority in my voice that it brought Christine to her feet. She was coming with; I glanced at Hannah and Cora. Cora kept shaking her head and climbed onto a top bunk. Hannah sighed before standing up beside Christine.

"What's your plan?"

Before anything else could be said loud footsteps were approaching. Christine and Hannah quickly lifted the mattress I had thrown onto the ground back onto its frame before scurrying off to their own bunks.

"Sounds like William," Christine observed, in a terrified voice. "He's the worst of them all—he."

"He's coming for you," Hannah interrupted. "He's the one who will take everything you have left and break it into a million pieces. You'll see… you'll come back and be just like us."

The lock of the door clicked open, Father Lucas was smiling brightly. Behind him was a large man, maybe even bigger than Tyreese with grin plastered on his face. He praised the Father for finally finding a blonde before ripping me out of the bunk.


	2. Changes

**A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed. It seriously made me write this chapter in record time. Big thanks for all the favourites, alerts, and follows as well! You guys should probably review too; I'd love to hear from you! Even if it's a sentence long, it makes me super excited and happy AND I don't bite either… just sayin'. I absolutely love this chapter; I hope you guys do too!**

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own The Walking Dead.**

**XXX**

When I was put back into the room the sun was starting to go down. I was bruised... sore everywhere and could only see from one eye. I had struggled and fought but there was only so much that could be done by a hundred and ten pound girl. Eventually I prayed that it would be over soon and when that didn't work… I began to plot.

I was shoved so roughly into the room that I tripped over my own feet, adding to the bruises that would surely be there forever. The three girls looked over their bunks, expecting tears but only saw anger.

Christine gasped at the sight of me before jumping out of her bed and kneeling down beside me.

"You shouldn't fight it Beth," she muttered, trying to place a comforting hand on my shoulder. I flinched away from her before picking myself up off the floor. Hannah was almost smirking in an 'I told you so' kind of way.

"Change of plans?" she asked with the same amount of smugness. Ignoring her tone I sat down on the edge of my bed. I returned her smirk with a grin that made all three of them look at me as if I had lost my mind. Maybe I had.

"Yeah," I confirmed. I took out the small switchblade that William was stupid enough to leave in his pant pocket. It held a small amount of comfort, I was just happy my weapon wouldn't have to be a piece of wood with a rusty nail from the bunk bed.

"I'm gonna kill 'em all," I finished. "He told me Father Lucas will be coming to check on me in awhile… so I'll wait. And then I'll take his keys and I'll just... kill 'em all."

"You're fucking nuts," Hannah said in awe, staring at the small blade I was holding.

"I get it if you two don't wanna come anymore, I don't expect to live to tell any stories," I told them, continuing to ignore Hannah. "Just don't get in my way."

That was something Daryl would say and that in itself gave me enough strength to fight, to erase all doubt… maybe I would survive. I had to survive, I had to thank him—not just him but Rick and Maggie and Glenn… Michonne; all of them for making me this strong. I looked at the three other girls in the room, they obviously didn't have people to do that for them but I could be that person. Why couldn't I be? I knew I needed them but I was sure they needed me more.

"Look… I have a group… a family. If I can find 'em you guys could stay with us, we'll protect you—we're good people."

Hannah and Christine looked at each other in doubt while Cora started mumbling under her breath.

"If we don't fight, if we lose hope, what makes us any different from the dead walking out there aimlessly? Nothing… we still gotta live in order to survive and this ain't livin'."

"You can't do this," announced Cora from her top bunk. "I'll tell them before you can do anything… I swear I will! I'm about to get my own room and I am not letting some stupid bitch ruin it for me. You best be getting rid of that weapon before I get the chance to say anything… maybe if you're lucky they'll go easy on you for stealing."

Hannah and Christine's demeanor deflated almost immediately as if Cora's words had completely erased what I had just said. I glared up at her, she was going to be a problem and she was going to get me killed. I had no choice and before I could think twice and change my mind, I stocked over to her bunk and ripped her from her bed. She tried to fight back but she was weak and could hardly defend herself at all. My fist met her nose to stop her from making so much noise before I jammed the small blade into her throat. There was a sickening gurgling sound as her body went limp.

"Oh my God," Christine gasped as I backed away from the body. I had never killed anyone like this before. I had killed dozens of walkers, defended the group when the prison was under attack but I had never killed someone out of rage. Right now though, I couldn't decide if it had been out of rage or survival. It didn't much matter, not anymore.

"You… you…" Christine stuttered and turned toward me as I began to wipe Cora's blood off my hands.

"I did what had to be done," I said finishing her sentence for her. Rick, that's who I sounded like now. Realizing this lifted the weight from my chest as I looked back at Hannah who had just as much shock written on her face. Neither of them could have seen much outside of this cabin.

"Help me get her into her bunk, make it look like she's sleepin', we'll have to use our canteens and old clothes to mop up the blood."

They helped me with no questions, they didn't seem so scared for which I was glad. I couldn't have them be scared of me, not entirely anyway because that meant there would be no trust. And I had to be able to trust them enough not to do to me what I did to Cora.

By the time we heard Father Lucas approaching Cora was up in her bunk along with the bloody rags we had used to clean up her blood. I kept the blade tucked under the sleeve of my camisole and looked at both Hannah and Christine's somber faces.

"You don't have to come with," I reminded them. "But if ya do we have 't work together, it's the only way we'll make it out."

"You won't make it nowhere,-" Hannah remarked.

"I'm coming with you," Christine interrupted her. I glanced at her in surprise; I had expected Hannah to agree to come before Christine. "They killed my sister, right in front of me… don't look so surprised Beth. There's a reason why I have been here this long and haven't gotten my own room yet."

I gave her a quick nod before Father Lucas unlocked and opened the door, shutting it gently behind him. He had the same grin plastered to his face, it made it hard for me not to plunge the blade into his chest right then and there. I flinched away from his hands as he attempted to grab my chin to get a better look at my face. His grin did not falter.

"It's best for all of us Beth if you learn to cooperate," he said as he pulled out a small first aid kit. "I hate to see you girls in this state."

I tried not to glare or be a smartass, I'd let him clean me up but only because it was all he was good for. He began dabbing the small scrapes and cuts with alcohol and it almost surprised me that the sting of it didn't make me turn away. He let out an exasperated sigh.

"You see Beth, this is God's will," he explained. I couldn't avoid his gaze anymore, my eyes met his. God's will? _God's will?_ If there were a God, which I liked to think there was… God had nothing to do with it. I glared at him; the switchblade felt like it was burning my skin, my hands eager to put this man where he belonged.

"We were put on this planet to be fruitful and multiply. And now that the dead are among us, nothing is more crucial then obeying the Lord and His will," he reasoned before digging into the first aid kit. "I will have to get ice for that eye of yours."

As soon as his eyes met mine again, there was no hesitation. The blade sunk into his throat almost too easily, the sound escaping him was much more satisfying than the weapon's last victim.

"I'll see you in Hell, Father," I added before yanking the blade from his throat and guiding him to the floor to avoid too much noise.

Christine jumped from her bunk and stood by the door as I picked out the scissors from the first aid kit and handed them to her. She was shaking something awful but she took the new weapon without doubt. I found the keys in his pocket and began searching for any other kind of weapon.

"He doesn't carry weapons," Hannah said, joining Christine at the door. I gave her nod before standing.

"We'll stay quiet until we can reach the shed, we don't stand a chance against this many men without weapons. Is it hard to get up onto the roof?" I asked Christine quickly.

"I'm…" she glanced at Father Lucas for a second before answering. "I'm not sure… we'd be able to get on top of the shed easy."

I nodded, it would have to do; once we were out there we wouldn't have much time to waste. I squeezed past the two girls and quietly opened the door a crack. There was no one directly outside. I took a deep breath before turning toward them both. They didn't look ready for much of anything; the two deaths in the last forty-five minutes seemed to be enough. So I'd push, push them until they could see what I saw: survivors and fighters. I'd be like Rick.

"I don't think I can do this," Christine said, shaking more than ever. Glancing at Hannah, she seemed to be in concurrence.

"You can and you will because we have to," I concluded, looking at both of them. "We fight until we die or win."

"I guess we should probably win then," Hannah added with no trace of her constant sarcasm. I gave her a smirk and Christine nodded, trying to muster up a reassuring smile. I opened the door as we quietly made our way down the hall


	3. Coping

**A/N: Thanks to my total of one reviewer last chapter ****xForgottenxFlamex****, I'm gonna dedicate this chapter to you. In thanks and apology for not responding to your review in which I am trying to make a habit of. Shout out to the followers and those who have favourited it warms my heart to see any kind of response but as a writer reading words means that much more. This chapter is a tad shorter only because the next one is going to be a little longer, I didn't want to combine them both and have one massive chapter. Please enjoy don't be afraid to point out mistakes and please, or let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: Robert Kirkman is the genius; I'm just the one who likes to borrow his characters on occasion.**

**XXX**

Our light steps could hardly be heard as we made our way down the hall. This was it; there was no turning back. When we reached the end of the hall, which seemed to be a mile long, we hit the entrance of the kitchen. I could see the backdoor plain as day; there was only one problem. A man… more of a boy a little older then me, really, was sitting at the kitchen table. His head was down and he was reading what looked like a book. I pushed myself up against the wall so I wouldn't be seen, Christine and Hannah followed. Both were looking at me for what to do next. The only advantage we had was surprise and the only way we would make it past the kitchen is if I could manage to shock this boy like I had with Father Lucas.

I held up a finger, silently telling them to stay put. Quietly sneaking up behind the boy with my weapon ready I began to question everything. Who was this kid? Maybe he was innocent and ended up having to group up with these people in order to survive. He was lanky and the gun that was holstered to his belt looked awkward, as if it didn't belong. I stood quietly behind him, taking one more step closer… maybe he could help us. The wooden floorboard creaked under my foot; he turned around quickly, spotting the blood stained weapon in my hand. He grabbed both of my wrists with his surprisingly strong hands and spun me around. The look in his eyes proved my previous doubts wrong—this is where it ended. I had come this far and was stupid enough to begin questioning myself. It was no one's fault but my own. I struggled against him and tried with everything I had to get out of his grasp but his deep inhale, as if about to call out for someone had me completely frozen.

Before he could yell out to anyone, within a blink of an eye the first aid scissors were sticking out the side of his neck. I freed myself from his grip and plunged my own weapon underneath his chin for good measure. He crumbled to the floor when I yanked the knife back out as another pair of hands pulled out the scissors. I looked up to see Hannah; her chest rising and falling with fury. She must have took the weapon from Christine; looking back at the other girl still standing in the hallway as white as a ghost I understood why. She was at a total loss as to what to do next. I gave Hannah a quick nod of appreciation, which was returned before I bent down over the boy and pulled out his gun, searching him I also found a Swiss army knife. I looked at both the weapons and looked back at Christine. She definitely would have no use for the gun and it couldn't be used until we were all on top of that shed, I didn't trust her enough to think before pulling the trigger so I tucked the small pistol into the back of my waist band and handed her the red handled knife.

"I really need you," I said bluntly, almost glaring at the girl. There was nothing more that could be said, if she couldn't help us and do nothing but sit back and watch she was useless—dead weight that I didn't have the strength to carry around with me. Christine took the knife as the three of us made our way to the backdoor. There was a small porch outside, before opening the door completely to make sure there was no one around. Where were these people? Didn't they have people on watch? If it were Rick there would be at least two on perimeter, one outside the prisoner's door and maybe two by the shed but… there was no one, besides the boy in the kitchen the only thing standing in my way was the capabilities of the people I was with. I couldn't help but smile to myself; these people weren't as smart as my people. They obviously had yet to experience anyone's indecency but their own.

The shed was a good hundred feet from the porch, we would have to get there, unlock the padlock, gather weapons and climb on top of the roof without being noticed. It seemed unlikely; I closed my eyes tight, trying to think of something, the plan that would most likely have me coming out alive.

"You know you're the best shot outta the three of ya," Daryl said. He wasn't really there, but in my head… in my mind, I knew what'd he say. I knew what he'd do to stay alive, his voice was as clear as if he were standing right beside me. Pushing me the way he always did, I was silently thanking him for that now.

I took the keys from my back pocket; there were a total of five keys on the ring, one clearly being for a car. I handed them to Hannah, pointing out the car key; telling her it wouldn't be the one to open the shed.

"We are gonna run to that shed as fast and quietly as possible," I whispered to both of them. "You're going to open that shed as quick as you can, I'll make sure nobody interrupts you. Christine find a way on top of that shed. When it's open we all take as much as we can carry. Take as much ammo as you can, that's most important… when we are safe we can take the rest."

The three of us made it to the shed without a hitch. Hannah was frantically working on the lock, as I stood in front of her, gun ready. Christine was making an easier route to the top of the shed, it all felt like an eternity. Every failed key led to a frustrated swears, more anxiety and the tightened grip of the gun in my hands.

"Best be prayin' you don't have to use that before you get inside the shed," Daryl said in an almost casual tone. "You won't make it outta here alive."

"Shut up," I told him. I couldn't deal with his pessimism right now, this was his plan and he was questioning it?

"What?" Hannah frantically whispered from over her shoulder.

"Just… hurry up," I told her, not bothering to look at her. She mumbled something under her breath before moving onto the next key. The sound of the heavy chain slipping from the shed's door was like music to my ears. I turned around and followed both Hannah and Christine inside.

The place was stocked, not as well as the prison, but decently enough that it put a smile on my face. I didn't know the names of any of them but I knew which one's shot quickly. They were bigger and I doubted Hannah or Christine could accomplish much with them but it was a worth a shot. I handed each of them one and threw the shoulder strap of another around myself. Grabbing an empty backpack I filled it up with what little ammo there was.

"You ever shoot one of those, girl?" Daryl asked, humor dripping from his voice. I glared at the wall ahead of me, deciding not to respond at risk of looking like a complete nutcase in front of two girls who relying on me to be logical.

"I reckon hearin' voices ain't the best thing to be tellin' people," he piped in as I grabbed two pistols from the wall that matched the one I already had. There, if the big guns proved to be completely useless at least we'd have these. Shoving more ammo into the backpack, I saw my knife. The knife Daryl had shoved into my hand when we fled the prison. On the same table were a bunch other knives; small and big; machetes, hunting knives… arrows. I paused for a second.

"You're right. There's a crossbow hidin' somewhere in here," Daryl confirmed. I could almost hear the grin in his voice.

"No time," I said as I grabbed my knife from the table. I tried to hide my disappointment that the weapon wasn't in plain sight as both Hannah and Christine's eyes glanced in my direction. It can be my reward when I come out of this alive I reasoned.

"Beth," Christine's voice called from the other side of the shed. "I think I found somethin'."

I made my way toward her and peered over the small shoebox sized container to see what I guessed to be around twelve grenades. I smiled; this was how we were getting out of here. Hannah stepped in behind us and whispered.

"I played softball in college."

"Hallelujah," Daryl grinned as he peered over my shoulder. The fact that he was standing behind me or rather the fact that I _thought _he was standing behind me was more of a comfort than a concern.

I carefully picked up the box; I was ready to fight until I couldn't fight no more.


	4. Breathe

**A/N: No word of a lie, I got such a great response to last chapter that I started and finished this chapter right after it. See? Reviews really do motivate but seriously, thank you so much guys! PS: words let me know you're still reading so leave me a review… also I will always shamelessly ask for reviews and try to guilt you into giving them to me. Love it. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Daryl Dixon I would be one kickass bitch, unfortunately I don't own him or any of TWD so all I get to do is sit behind a computer and **_**pretend **_**I'm a kickass bitch.**

**XXX**

There were yells coming from the house that could be heard from the top of the shed. The bodies had been found and their prisoners were missing. This was it, all three of us were on our stomachs; there was a small ledge on the flat roof that offered some protection.

"You really don't know what kind of weapons they carry around with 'em," Daryl said, sitting on the ledge, feet hanging over the side. I gave him a look as if to say I had already thought of that and he just shrugged. If they were equipped like the boy in the kitchen we had a fighting chance. If they stored the kind of weapons that were in the shed in a second location we wouldn't have a hope in hell—I refused to think that way. That was too smart of an idea for them to have, something Rick would think to do, not these people. Not people who thought they were untouchable.

"Just… aim and shoot," I told the two other girls. Christine had already broken down crying once and Hannah had admitted to never even holding a gun before. "And remember to breathe."

The grenades were beside Hannah at her disposal. She was an outfielder for a college team, said she had a good arm. I had made sure to tell her to throw 'em at groups of people and leave the loners to me. I wasn't really expecting much from Christine at this point, I almost hated myself for it because I knew how it felt for someone to expect that little from you.

Three men came out the backdoor and spotted the open shed almost immediately. They were yelling and swearing so loudly they hadn't bothered to notice we were still there. In retrospect we probably could have ran and made it a decent ways, it's probably what they thought we did.

"They woulda came lookin'," Daryl reassured, he was now laying beside me in the same position. His breaths were steady and calm; his confidence was what kept my mind from doubt. They would have caught up to us eventually, Hannah and Christine probably couldn't trek far and even if they could, these guys had a vehicle. They had to be killed; it was the only way to assure survival.

"An' they fuckin' deserve it," Daryl spat. And they deserved it, I agreed. I aimed my gun at the only man of the three that had a weapon out. Taking a deep breath, I knew it was time, they hadn't yet realized we were here; they were all out in the open, completely unprepared.

"Shoot," Daryl whispered into my ear. I lightly squeezed the trigger, prepared for the gun's kick into my shoulder. The man went down before Hannah and Christine followed the lead and started shooting almost aimlessly but shooting nonetheless.

It wasn't long before the other seven men were outside. From what I could see, I counted five of them with guns. My eyes narrowed on Will, the man who took me from the room hours before. I could feel myself start to shake, not out of fear but from anger.

"Save 'im for last," Daryl seethed. I'm sure I could think of something special just for him, Daryl grunted in approval before I aimed at the man furthest away. I was probably the only one who could hit someone that far away and he was stupid enough not to take any sort of cover whatsoever. I took aim and missed, the shot landing at his feet the man stared up at me in fury, aiming his pistol toward the top of the shed. I missed again and again. Five times total, enough times for me to scream in frustration. I felt his hand on my wrist, before that I hadn't realized how bad I was shaking.

"You have the upper hand Beth, jus' take your time… just breathe," he said in that unnatural calm but sweet voice I had only heard come out of his mouth twice before. I inhaled a deep breath, blocking out the noise of Christine and Hannah's guns, blocking out the angry calls from the men below, blocking out Hannah's small celebration whoop of 'getting one.'

"You have to exhale," he said, irritated again as he cuffed me upside the head. I slowly let out my breath and shot the man who was stupid and arrogant enough to stock closer to the shed. There were nine left, by this time they were all either hiding on the other side of the cabin or behind the car I had been taken in. Will and a tall blonde man were behind two trees closest to the shed.

"Hey, Hannah," I uttered, getting her attention. She turned me, with question written on her face before remembering the grenades. "Think ya can throw one at that car?"

Without second thought Hannah stood up pulled the pin from the grenade and effortlessly lobbed it in the direction of the car. She smiled when it managed to roll underneath the it. It didn't take long for everything to turn back to chaos; the grenade went off, destroying the car; the three men hiding behind it were surly dead. That left four behind the house and Will and his buddy behind the trees. I motioned for Hannah to throw another, to be sure.

"Get down!" Daryl warned as I heard gunshots from behind the trees. I got up from my position, hearing Daryl screaming curses at me for being stupid. I brought Hannah down with me, hitting my knees hard on the roof's hard surface.

"What happened to _you _survivin'," Daryl spat in anger as I shuffled off of Hannah, who seemed to be in shock but alive. "Ya don't risk your life for people ya don't know."

"I know 'em enough," I bit back. Daryl grunted in anger before walking away, peering over the ledge. Typical. I rolled my eyes before reloading my gun.

"Know who enough?" Christine whispered almost inaudibly. I looked at her and back at Daryl who was twirling his index finger beside his temple, indicating that I looked crazy. Maybe I was crazy. I ignored Christine and stuck my head just over the ledge enough to see. The blonde one could be seen, he seemed to be motioning for the guys behind the house to join him and Will. I bit my bottom lip and took aim quickly and shot in the same amount of time. I had to be quick in order to avoid a bullet to the head, the bullet had hit him… in the arm possibly, but it hadn't killed him. At least he's hurt, I ducked back down and found Hannah had moved beside me.

"I don't think Christine can keep going," she said. I looked back at Christine who was sobbing to the point of dry heaving; at least she was trying to be quiet about it. I gave Hannah a shrug; there wasn't much I could do about it right now.

"Could've used that car," Daryl finally spoke up. This was what he decided to say, no praise or assurance. How could I ever put my new found and brilliant hunting and tracking skills to use if we had a car? I smirked and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Smartass," he mumbled. I heard the blonde man yelling in anger and pain from behind the tree, arguing with Will that they should just burn the shed down. Will, who seemingly thought the three girls were no match for him yelled back saying that there was too much to lose in the shed. After their one-sided argument he started yelling at the men behind the house, calling them cowards and ordering them to join him behind the trees. Not long after, two of the four men started sprinting toward the trees, I only knew this because their hurried footsteps were loud against the dirt road. Both Hannah and I popped up at the same time and began firing. I had managed to shoot one in the gut, he went down quick and Hannah shot off a couple more shots to be sure. The other man had joined Will and Blonde Guy behind the trees.

"What if they do burn us out?" Hannah asked once the both of us were hidden again. Her question only made Christine sob harder.

"What if they do?" Daryl asked seriously. It was a pretty high drop and by the time we recovered from it Will and his goons would have us surrounded.

"We'll kill them before that happens," I answered the both of them. Hannah seemed to be satisfied with the answer as if all she heard in my voice was confidence. Daryl on the other hand knew better, he didn't like the plan because it wasn't really a plan at all. All I could offer him was a shrug. They were too close to throw a grenade, it would be too risky and it wasn't as if they had they had the supplies to light the shed up in flames. Maybe a lighter, but it would take a lot more then that to do much damage in little time.

"Where are Cook and Leo?" Will barked in anger. The one who had survived the run to the trees sputtered out a response.

"They ain't had no—n-no weapons so's they just took off."

There were only three left and Blonde Guy was injured, but I wouldn't let relief wash over me quite just yet. I looked up at Daryl who was standing on top of the ledge without fear.

"What would you do?" I asked him in all seriousness. I could feel Hannah's eyes on me but she didn't bother to ask questions, it was as if she understood this was how I figured it all out- and hell, if it worked she had no complaints. I looked at Daryl expectantly and he stared at me awhile, he seemed hesitant. I knew what that meant, that meant I wouldn't like his idea and he didn't like it much either.

"I wouldn't be hidin'," he said gruffly. Sometimes his honesty was too much, I sighed inwardly. He definitely wouldn't be hiding, he'd figure out a way to keep fighting because that's what he did. He survived, fought and protected.

"So, what?" I asked expectantly. After all, those four words weren't really an answer to my question.

"They still think they can beat ya," he shrugged. "They think you'll stay up on this roof and they'll be able to come an' get ya…"

"So, I'll just go to them," I finished his sentence. He gave a grim nod as if he were worried but saw no other way.

"You have to be fucking kidding me," Hannah exclaimed quietly. "We are not going down there, we will be shot and we will die or worse."

I looked at her for second; completely forgetting she could hear my half of the conversation.

"We will die either way," I told her, realizing Christine had stopped crying and started listening. "We will sneak down from behind and make our way to the forest. We'll circle back," I said pointing to the forest that surrounded us. "Until we can see 'em again…"

"And then what? We wing it?" Hannah asked pointedly, I only offered her a shrug.

"Yup. Try not to blow up the shack or the house we'll need supplies when we're done—Christine if you can't pull yourself together, please just stay here."

"W-will you c-come back for me?" she hiccoughed. I glared at her and saw Daryl shaking his head in what I assumed was disgust.

"Leave her behind," he said. "She'll get you killed."

"Of course we will, right Beth?" Hannah asked in a concerned voice. Christine and Hannah had been together awhile; I looked at Daryl. If a new member came into my group and had had the chance to save me and didn't… Daryl sighed loudly. He knew just as well as I did that that new member would be nothing to the group.

"They'd be dead," Daryl assured. I gave Christine a nod, Hannah seemed to believe me but there was nothing but doubt in Christine's eyes.

"I promise you, I will come and get you or die tryin'."

This seemed to satisfy her, apparently me offering my life had been proven to be better than my word. Hannah and I gathered what we could, leaving Christine with a pistol, some ammo, and one grenade. I had told her if she had seen us in a tough spot to help the best she could without shooting us. All she could do was nod in response.

"An' leave Will for me," I told them both as Hannah and I quietly made our way down the back of the shed.

**XXX**

**A/N2: Holy geez, guys. I was expecting to finish the entire fight scene in this chapter. That did not happen, it was way longer then I thought it would turn out to be. But that's okay because that just means more Daryl because I am pretty sure he is the reason for the added length. Damn him.**


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